Notes in the Margins: Transparency, beer bongs, and Canadian internships

College Uses Test Data to Show Value Cash-Conscious Families Clamor for Numbers on How Much Students Learn (The Wall Street Journal)

Drawing Boundaries Around Internships Student internships have come in for criticism in Canada, as elsewhere, over the past year, drawing fire for putting pressure on students to work long hours for little or no pay. (The New York Times)

Will Dartmouth figure out big applicant drop? If there were a prize this year for cluelessness in American higher education, it would go to Dartmouth College. That fine Ivy League institution seems unable to realize how ignoring high school students’ hard work and financial needs has hurt its reputation. (The Washington Post)

University bans shots, beer bongs to prevent binge drinking Members of Greek life at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo are throwing their red solo cups away and turning in their shot glasses as part of a new party registration policy. (USA Today)

C is for college rating system Experts have said that a rating system might have a better chance at nudging colleges to improve — especially if the ratings eventually end up tied to federal financial aid. But if they stay consumer-focused, the Education Department is entering a tough market. Many of the students the Education Department helps the most — low-income students who are less savvy about the admissions process than their better-off peers — don’t consult rankings or ratings to inform their choices at all. (Politico via NAICU)

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